Fath al-Rabbani

Waleed bin ‘Ubadah, may Allah have mercy on him, says: I went to Sayyiduna ‘Ubadah bin Samit, may Allah be pleased with him, while he was ill, and I thought that he would die from this illness. So I said: “Father! Give some advice and make an effort for me.” He said: “Sit me up,” then he said: “My beloved son! You will not taste the sweetness of faith nor reach the reality of the knowledge of Allah until you believe in good and bad destiny.” I said: “Father! How can I know what good and bad destiny is?” He said: “Know that whatever is meant to pass you by cannot befall you, and whatever is meant to befall you cannot pass you by. O my beloved son! I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the Pen, then He said to it: Write, so it began to move and wrote down all that would occur until the Day of Resurrection. O my son! If you die without this belief, you will enter Hell.”